How to Brave a Marriage
by flabbergastedbaboom
Summary: When 16-year-old Hiccup was told he would have to get married to Princess Merida of Dunbroch, he wanted to crawl in a hole. He would have to leave Berk for who-knows-how-long, leave Astrid, and Toothless. Can Hiccup figure out a way to avoid the marriage without throwing the clans into war? Hicstrid, no Merida ships. Sorry if the title makes no sense.
1. Chapter 1

**Quick story info:**

**In my opinion, Hiccup was around thirteen, going on fourteen in the movies, so this takes place about two-three years after. He's still the same freckled, sarcastic dork, just slightly less scrawny and older.**

**And, although the main plot will be told in Hiccup's POV, there will be others in italic paragraphs. They'll be at the beginning of a chapter, so you'll know.**

**Hope you like it! :)**

_Toothless waited impatiently for the sun to appear over the horizon. He knew his human friend, Hiccup, was okay to wake up early, as long as it was after the sun came up. Toothless swished his tail back and forth. Over the years, he had gotten used the strange feeling of only having one tail fin, though his mechanical tail made up for the loss of flight. Toothless put his head down on his front paws and let out a soft sigh/groan/gurgling noise and stared over the island of Berk that he had come to call home._

**_Where I receive some horrible, life-altering news, but first, I fall into the ocean..._**

I absolutely have the worst luck of any Viking in all of history.

My name is Hiccup Haddock Horrendous the III. My unfortunate name was only the start of my bad luck. For the first thirteen and a half years of my life, I was the odd one out. I was always being picked on, excluded, and patronized for not being big and strong enough. I'm still the scrawniest teen on all Berk, despite having bulked up a bit from the time I was thirteen.

I lost half my leg in a fight with a terrifying dragon and I'm able to find the perfect ways to annoy my girlfriend, Astrid, without even trying. I have fallen into the ocean while trying a new trick with Toothless, my pet dragon, at least eight times in the past two months, and almost been killed on numerous other occasions.

However, some of the worst of my luck came when I was sixteen years old through some rather unfortunate news.

It was April 3rd. It was drizzling lightly. I woke up early, as usual, to take Toothless out for a quick ride.

"Come on, bud!" I called. Toothless leaped down for the roof and waited anxiously while I strapped on his tail fin and saddle. Just before we were about to take off, my father, Stoick the Vast, chief of the tribe, came outside.

"Hiccup, I have to talk to you," he said. He twisted the ring on his finger a few times, what he did when he was nervous. My father didn't get nervous often, so I knew he must've been thinking of something important.

"Sure, what is it?" I asked. Toothless whimpered and nodded his head towards the sky. "I know you want to go. Just one minute," I murmured, patting his neck.

"Can you come inside?" my dad asked.

"I was just about to go out with Toothless," I said slowly. I prepared for him to tell me that Toothless could wait a few minutes, and to come inside, but he just sighed and looked at me with dull eyes.

"Oh... well... we're having a town meeting later, so I'll tell you then," I looked at him skeptically.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, yes, go have fun," he said, waving his hand dismissively and walking back into the house.

"Huh," I murmured. "Alright then, Toothless. Let's g-whoa!" I exclaimed, almost falling backwards. Toothless had already taken off, spiraling into the sky. I laughed and switched the position of his tail, which had become a reflex of mine.

I looked down at Berk below us. Everyone was still in their homes, probably sleeping or getting ready for the day.

We passed over the island and shot through the sky. We flew for about half an hour, warming up and goofing off, before we started the new maneuver we had been working on lately

"Alright Toothless, let's try this," I said, readying myself. I locked his tail into place and slowly put knees behind me on the saddle. "Steady. Stay straight," I said. I was on my hands and knees. Slowly and carefully, I stood up, squaring my feet. A wide smile split across my face.

"Woo! Yes Toothless! We did it! We-"

SPLASH!

I fell into the freezing cold water, Toothless disappearing into the ocean. Luckily, the ring that attached my riding vest to his saddle came undone before he could pull me down with him. Toothless resurfaced with a fish in his mouth a moment later. He gobbled it up innocently and waded over to me.

"Thanks, I really do enjoy when you decide to have your breakfast while I'm standing here," I said sarcastically, scrambling up onto Toothless's back. I rubbed my arms for warmth and blew into my hands.

"Let's go home," I sighed. "I'm freezing," Toothless spread his wings and raised himself out of the water. It was even colder up in the air, but at least it was dryer.

We soared towards the now waking Berk. People went about their regular day routines. As we circled over the village a few times, I spotted Astrid sitting outside her house, sharpening her favourite axe. Toothless and I landed on the other side of her house. I put a finger to my lips, telling Toothless to stay quiet.

I crept behind her slowly, intending to give her a soaking-surprise hug. Toothless followed my example, arching his back and stepping lightly, ducking his head low like he was sneaking up on prey.

"Don't even think about it, Hiccup," Astrid said, not even looking up from her axe. I dropped my shoulders in disappointment. Toothless, however, didn't catch on and leaped in front of Astrid, expecting to spook her. She just laughed and pat him on the head.

"How'd you know it was me?" I asked, sitting down beside her. She was dressed in her normal attire, except her hair was different than normally. She still wore her headband around her head, but she hadn't braided her long blonde hair yet, so it ran freely down her back.

"Well, only you would be trying to sneak up on me," she replied, holding her axe up and examining her work. She seemed satisfied and put it down beside her.

"Get that new trick yet?" she asked.

"Yeah, I just jumped into the ocean on purpose because I felt like going for a nice swim," I said sarcastically.

"You're so weird," she said, and kissed me.

"You're pretty weird too. I mean, you're the one dating me," I said, smiling widely. I wrapped her in a tight hug.

"Ugh, Hiccup!" she yelled, pushing me away. "You're going to get me soaked! You're can be so infuriating sometimes," she muttered, reaching behind her head and braiding her hair. I smiled sheepishly.

A bell rang in the distance. One. Two. Three. Four. Four rings, everyone was supposed to gather in the town hall* to listen to whatever it was my dad had to say.

"What is that about?" Astrid wondered.

I shrugged. "My dad said something about a meeting earlier," I hopped on Toothless's back. "I've got to drop Toothless's stuff at home," I told Astrid. "Can you tell my dad I'll be a bit late?"

"Sure, I'll meet you there," she said, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek and taking off.

We flew to my house in under a minute and I slipped off Toothless's back. I took off his saddle and tail fin and leaned them against the side of the house.

"Okay, I'll see you later," I said, scratching under his chin before heading down to the meeting.

I was the last person to arrive. I tried to enter the hall without being noticed, but I didn't have that kind of luck.

"Ah, Hiccup, perfect!" my father's voice echoed through the hall. "Come up here," I reluctantly joined my father in the center of the crowd.

"Oi, Stoick! Why'd you call us here?" Gobber called out. Gobber was my father's long time friend and he had taught me everything I know about working in the forge. A murmur of questions and comments rippled throughout the hall.

"I have a very important announcement to make," my father said, his powerful voice silencing everyone else in the room. "Ever since we befriended the dragons, many of the surrounding clans and kingdoms were frightened that we would use the dragons to conquer new lands and wage war against them. We have tried to put many alliances and peace treaties into action. I am pleased to announce that King Fergus of the Clan Dunbroch has agreed to form an alliance. The terms, however, require for an unbreakable vow to be made to link us. So, I would like to announce a wedding will be held as a joining of the two kingdoms,"

My whole world seemed to slow down. A wedding. He couldn't be talking about _me_ getting married, could he? No way... it was him. It was someone else. Anyone else. Anyone but me.

"So, it is with peace in mind that I wish to declare that my one and only son, Hiccup, will be marrying the Princess Merida of Dunbroch. We will be departing tomorrow," he finished, looking at me with apologetic eyes as if to say "It's for the best" or "Sorry that I just ruined your entire life,"

"NO!" I blurted out. "You can't- I won't- dad!" I struggled to find the right words to express my absolute rage and surprise.

"Hiccup, we are on the brink of war with them. I have to think about the village," he said in a tight voice.

"Did you ever think about _me_?" I yelled, tears stinging my eyes. I blinked them away before he, or anyone else could see. I ran out of the room as fast as my feet (foot) could take me. I had to get out of there.

***I didn't know what else to call the hall where Stoick gathered the adult Vikings in the movie to discuss finding the dragons' nest.**

**I'm actually watching How To Train Your Dragon right now! :D LOVE THIS MOVIE!**

**I JUST REALIZED SOMETHING! I WROTE THE DATE IN THIS CHAPTER AS APRIL THIRD AND NOW I'M ACTUALLY UPLOADING IT ON APRIL THIRD! (at least, it is where I am right now)**

**Okay, that's all for now!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A bit (a lot) of HiccupxAstrid fluff in this chapter.**

**And, I know in the movie Toothless can go into Hiccup's house, but I never thought it was the smartest thing to have a dragon in there.**

**I have some stupid writer's block right now, so I just edited this chapter a bit. This story is probably not going to be as long as **_Half-Bloods of All Sorts_ **but it sure is fun to write!**

_Astrid's heart stopped. Hiccup, her boyfriend, was supposed to be getting married? No. It couldn't be like that. Stoick was hard on Hiccup, but he would never force him to get married. This had to be some sort of joke. Tears stung her eyes. _Don't cry_, she told herself. She couldn't help it. Astrid was frozen in place. She didn't even notice when Hiccup ran out of the Great Hall. They had never officially said the "L" word, but Astrid had just assumed that's how Hiccup felt about her, and having never experienced a serious relationship before, she guessed those were her feelings too. But now she was sure. She loved him. Astrid was completely in love with Hiccup, the skinny, freckled, slightly annoying dragon trainer. And now he was slipping away._

_Where I try to run away, but fail miserably because I have the most predictable hiding spots..._

I raced towards my house, my metal leg making a quiet metal _clink _as it touched the ground. I wiped my eyes furiously as I put as much distance between me and the town hall.

"Toothless!" I called as I neared my house. Within an instant, Toothless was by my side, running to the front door.

I flung it open and ran upstairs. I heard Toothless moaning in protest, as if asking me to come back downstairs. I heard him scraping at the doorframe, trying to fit through the door.

"One second!" I yelled down to him, trying to conceal my anger.

I snatched a small leather bag from under my bed and slung it over my shoulder. I grabbed my tool belt and sketch book and stuffed them in the bag, along with some extra socks and a blanket. Then, I sped back down the stairs and grabbed Toothless's saddle and tail from beside the front door and went back outside where Toothless was waiting anxiously. He sat completely still while I strapped on his tale and saddle, sensing my urgency.

"Come on bud. We're going for a ride," I said quietly, hopping up onto the saddle. I gave him a light squeeze with my legs and we took off. "Go, high up," I urged. My clothes were still damp from my earlier dip in water, making it feel like the dead of winter in the air.

Toothless stayed above the clouds, out of sight of the villagers bellow. We circled the island twice before diving down into the dense forest and towards the shallow glade where Toothless and I had first met.

Toothless landed smoothly and I jumped off his back. The clearing was almost exactly same as two and a half years ago. I had discovered so much about Toothless and myself there.

I sunk down to the ground and placed my head in my hands. Toothless purred softly and lay down next to me. I leaned back on him and sighed.

"Married," I said aloud. "He wants me to get married to some princess," I laughed dryly. "I mean, can you imagine that? You know, he never even told me about any of this," Toothless nudged his head under my arm. I rubbed his forehead absentmindedly, staring over the small lake at the natural stone walls. "I don't want to marry any princess. I'm sixteen for crying out loud. Most of us don't even get married until they're eighteen, maybe seventeen, but sixteen? I can't marry someone I don't love, much less someone I don't even know!"

I sighed and reached into my bag. I pulled out my sketchbook and charcoal pencil and flipped to a new page. I ran the pencil along the page, making a series of lines and curves, though I wasn't quite sure what I was drawing yet.

"I don't get why it has to be me," I continued babbling to Toothless. He was a great listener. "There are plenty of young, eligible vikings who would love to marry a princess. But what else could I expect for someone with my luck. But, I can't keep letting my bad luck rule my life. I'll leave Berk and we'll find a better life somewhere else. Somewhere that I'm not forced into marrying princesses," I let out a long sigh and looked down at the finished project of my doodles.

I stared down at Astrid's face. A pain lurched through my chest. Astrid. How could I leave Berk. All my friends were there. Astrid was there. I would even miss my father, despite our occasionally shaky relationship.

"We can't leave, can we?" I asked Toothless. He looked up at me with innocent green eyes. "I guess not, huh,"

I rubbed my eyes and tilted my head towards the sky. There were thick, grey clouds blocking the sun, yet it was warm all the same. I was grateful for this, because I was still dressed in damp clothes. I put my sketchpad back in my bag and tossed the bag a few feet away from me. I closed my eyes, half hoping I'd fall asleep.

I heard the soft footsteps of several people approaching me. I kept my eyes shut.

"Hiccup," Astrid said softly.

"Go away. I'm dead," I groaned.

"Come on, Hiccup. Get up," Fishlegs pleaded.

"We don't hate you enough to want you dead," Tuffnut said.

"I wouldn't have anyone to make fun of anymore," Snotlout said.

"Well, you'd have Fishlegs," Ruffnut said.

"Hiccup," Astrid repeated my name again. I opened his eyes slowly and stared up at my five friends.

"How'd you know I was here?" I asked.

"Lucky guess," Astrid said, sitting beside him. I noticed her eyes were slightly red. Had she been crying? No way. Nonetheless, I wrapped my arms around her. She didn't protest this time, despite my clothes still being damp.

"You weren't thinking of leaving, were you?" Fishlegs asked, holding up my bag.

"Because if Astrid cries more than once, I think the world's gonna end," Snotlout said.

"I may be sad, but I can still whoop your butt," Astrid snapped at him. (As a side note, I am pleased to report that Snotlout had stopped trying to win over Astrid by the time we were fifteen)

"I thought I was going to leave, but I know I can't," I said, holding Astrid tightly. "My dad's going to kill me for taking off,"

Tuffnut shook his head."He won't. Otherwise, there would be no one to marry the prin-"

"Shut up, idiot!" Ruffnut exclaimed, smacking him in the head.

"I don't know what I'm going to do. I know we really need this peace treaty, but I can't marry someone I've never met, someone I don't love," I said.

"The whole village is pretty evenly divided. Some of them think it's for the best, the others think you shouldn't be forced to marry the princess," Fishlegs said.

"And what do you think I should do?" I asked. There was a moments hesitation.

"You have to do what you think is right," Fishlegs said. I looked down at Astrid. She looked confused and scared, a very uncommon thing for Astrid. She was always incredibly strong, so seeing her looking so distraught was almost disturbing.

"Can you guys give us a minute?" I asked the rest of my friends, looking up with pleading eyes. They nodded and walked to the other side of the clearing, talking to each other quietly.

"What do you think I should do?" I asked Astrid. I waited for her to answer. Three, agonizing minutes passed before she said anything.

"We can't go to war with the Dunbroch Clan," she said slowly, her voice shaking slightly. "But-" She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. I put my hands on her shoulders.

"I'm not going to marry any princess," I told her definitely. "I'll go to the kingdom and get out of it somehow,"

"What if you can't?" she asked.

"Then I'll hop on Toothless, get back here, and we'll get out of here. Explore the world," I told her.

"Just come back, okay?" she told me before kissing me. I smiled.

"I promise,"

"Hey, if you guys are going to use your 'alone time' to smooch, can I leave?" Snotlout called over.

Astrid and I stood up and walked over to our friends, Toothless trailing behind us.

"I'm going back," I told them. They exchanged uneasy looks. "There's no way I'm getting married to any princess, but maybe if I can talk to this Merida girl and her parents, we can find another way to have peace between us. And if not then I'll come back," I finished, looking at Astrid and smiling slightly.

The six of us walked back to Berk slowly, Toothless following us quietly. Astrid laced her fingers through mine and squeezed my hand tightly. I smiled at her, grateful for the support, even though I knew it was as hard for her as it was for me.

As we walked back into Berk, I stooped my shoulders and sunk back behind my friends, dropping Astrid's hand.

"I'll see you guys later," I said before running around to the back of my house that Toothless had claimed as 'his territory'. He slept there most nights and ate there too. My dad and I had built a wooden overhang coming off the house for when it was raining outside.

I took off Toothless's saddle and tail and leaned them against the side house. Toothless made a soft, gurgling noise, as if asking if I were okay.

"It's fine. Just a lot to take in," I said, patting his back. I sat with him outside, watching the stormy grey clouds as they gathered in the sky. _That's much more like Berk_, I thought.

"Hiccup," my dad said softly. I didn't reply. "Hiccup, I'm sorry, I truly am," he sighed, coming around to face me. "It was very tough making this decision. I know I should have consulted you first, but-"

"Don't worry dad," I said, standing up and brushing some dust off my pants. "I get it. I'll marry the princess," My dad raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"You do? You will?" he asked in bewilderment, his excitement growing. I nodded. "You will! Oh, thank the gods!" he cried, pulling me into a bone crushing hug.

"Come on now, let's get inside before this storm hits," he said, releasing me from the hug and putting a hand on my shoulder.

"I think I'm gong to stay out here with Toothless, actually," I murmured, looking anywhere but at my dad.

"Oh, well... alright then... if that's what you want..." he said, sounding uneasy, as if worried I would disappear again. He stood there for a moment longer before walking into the house.

I pulled the blanket I had taken from my house earlier out of my bag and dropped it under the wooden overhang. I lay down on top of the blanket and stared up at the wooden canopy above me. Toothless curled up beside me. I smiled slightly and gave him a quick pat.

"Thanks for being here for me, bud," I said quietly. He let out a soft croaking noise in response.

The sky was darkening, though it was barely mid-day. A few rain drops started to fall from the grey clouds.

"Everything alright?" Astrid's voice asked. I lifted my head to see her leaning against the side of my house.

"Meh,"

"And your dad?" she asked.

"Meh,"

She shook her head and came to sit beside me. "You're so annoying sometimes," she muttered.

"How?" I asked in disbelief. How had I managed to annoy her in such a short period of time?

"You're not talking to me," she grumbled, sitting down beside him. I almost laughed at her. Though Astrid would never admit it in a million years, she worried about me way more than she let on. It was sweet, up until she would threaten to kill me.

Astrid, Toothless, and I all sat underneath the wooden overhang, me sandwiched in between the two. Astrid stared out at the rain that was beginning to fall from the sky, and I stared at her. How I had ever managed to get a girl as amazing and temperamental as Astrid to like me was beyond my understanding, but I was glad all the same.

The rain started to pour heavily. There was a bright flash of light, followed by the low rumbling of thunder. The ground seemed to shake underneath us.

"It's raining," Astrid said obviously.

"Yep,"

"That's too bad," she said, letting out an exaggerated sigh.

"Oh, really, why's that?" I asked.

"Because that means I have to walk home in the rain,"

"Sucks," I replied.

Wrong answer.

Astrid smacked me in the stomach, I winced slightly and put a hand where she had hit me with surprising force.

"I know I'm going to regret asking this, but humor me... what was that for?" I asked. Astrid glared at me.

"That was for suggesting I walk home, in the rain, _alone_," she snapped. I rolled my eyes. It was always something with her. She tilted my chin towards her and kissed me softly, just like usual. "And that was for inviting me to wait out the storm here," she whispered.

"But I didn't-"

"Take the hint, Hiccup," she said, laying her head on my chest. I put an arm around her shoulder and allowed a smile to spread across my face. I wondered if it was alright to be so happy with her, when I knew I would have to leave the next day.

As we sat there in silence, I felt my thoughts cycling between Astrid and my "marriage". I shut my eyes, trying to clear my head. _All that matters now,_ I thought, _is that Astrid is with me now._

**SO MUCH FLUFF XD I wish I could put a GIF here! I would put the GIF from Despicable Me of Agnes saying "It's so fluffy I'm gonna die!" Not as good when I explain it... :d**

**Quick note: In my opinion, even though she's upset, Astrid has sense enough to see that they can't go to war with Merida's kingdom, though she still can't accept that she may be losing Hiccup.**

**Yeah, hope you liked this!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Quick note about the story that I haven't added yet: I'm assuming that Merida and Hiccup live in the same time periods, and that they read the same writing, etc.**

**EVEN MORE FLUFF!**

_Once the rain stopped, Stoick walked around to the back of the house to see Hiccup. He was slightly surprised to find Astrid Hofferson and Hiccup lying under the wooden overhang at the back of the house, though he shouldn't have been. All of Berk knew the two were steady. Both of them had dozed off and were sleeping peacefully. Astrid's head rested on Hiccup's chest and his cheek pressed against her forehead. Stoick looked down at the two and shook his head shamefully. How could he do this to Hiccup, his son? Stoick turned away slowly and walked to the front of his house which overlooked all of Berk. _Through Hiccup's sacrifice_, Stoick thought, _peace will be brought to my village. And that is what must be done. _Yet, there was a part of him that told him his 'bad father' side was coming out again. He had tried to push it away, but every now and then, the blunt, ignorant Viking-dad would sneak up on him. Stoick sighed. Hiccup would understand someday._

_Where I have a party and get a pretty good gift..._

I woke up to find the rain had stopped and Astrid still sleeping peacefully beside me. A wave of sadness washed over me as I remembered my dad's words. "... my one and only son, Hiccup, will be marrying the Princess Merida of Dunbroch. We will be departing tomorrow,"

Tomorrow was coming soon, and I was not ready. What I wanted most was to go flying, clear my mind, but I did not want to be the one to wake up Astrid.

Noticing I was awake, Toothless made an eager crooning sound. I put a finger to my lips and pointed to Astrid. Toothless got the message and stooped his head in a shameful response, though his face didn't show any signs of remorse.

"Just wait until she wakes up," I whispered.

Astrid shifted in her sleep, pressing her face into my shirt. "Hiccup," she mumbled. I wasn't sure if it was she was sleep talking or actually waking up.

"Astrid... are you up?" I asked in a whisper. No response. I sighed. "I'm going to come back Astrid. I promise," I whispered. "My dad isn't going to make me, neither is any King Whoever, or princess WhatsHerName," I said. I looked down at her fondly. _The only person I'd ever marry is you_, I thought.

"Oh, look at the two lovebirds!" Ruffnut said in a mockingly sweet voice. I looked up to see Snotlout, Tuffnut, Ruffnut, and Fishlegs standing over us.

"Quiet!" I hissed at her.

"Come on Hiccup, you're _engaged_," Snotlout mocked.

"Low blow," I muttered.

"Don't you think you're a little young to be-"

"Tuff, shut up," I snapped. Astrid moaned and pushed her face into my shirt again.

"Be quiet," she grumbled. "I'm sleeping,"

"Uh, no, you're awake," Snotlout said bluntly. Astrid reached out her her hand and searched the ground, keeping her head on my chest and her eyes closed. She wrapped her fingers around a stick and chucked it at Snotlout. Even with her eyes closed, she had impeccable aim. The stick flew right at his head. Had he not been wearing his helmet, he would probably have gotten a concussion.

"Ouch!" he exclaimed.

Astrid finally opened her eyes and sat up, yawning and rolling her shoulders back. Toothless jumped up excitedly, realizing that Astrid was awake and we could go flying.

"Yeah, okay bud," I said tiredly, standing up and stretching.

"Going for a fly?" Astrid asked, tightening her braid. I nodded as I strapped Toothless's tail on. "Can I come?"

"Oh! Me too!" Fishlegs said eagerly.

"If he's going, so am I," Snotlout said.

"And it isn't a party without me," Tuff said, grinning widely.

"He means me," Ruff said, punching her brother in the arm. I smiled at my friends.

"Well, what are you still doing here then?" I asked. I grinned at my friends eagerness. Despite my situation, they lifted my spirits. "Go get your dragons,"

"Sneak attack!" Ruff and Tuff screamed over the rush of the wind as they dive bombed Fishlegs on their Zippleback.

"Hey, watch out!" Fishlegs cried nervously. "You're going to hit me!"

"That's the point," Ruffnut snickered. I flew over them, shaking my head at their usual shenanigans.

Suddenly, Astrid, riding on Stormfly, her Deadly Nadder, appeared beside me.

"Hey," she called. "Race you to Falcon Peak," she said. Before I could agree, she and Storm Fly flew off. A wide grin split across my face.

"Come on Toothless, let's go!" I exclaimed. I grinned and leaned forwards in the saddle, and Toothless darted after Astrid and Stormly.

We were neck and neck as Falcon Peak was coming into view. The large cliff resembled a falcon about to take off into the air, his wings partially spread.

Toothless and I touched down on the rocky formation only seconds before Astrid and Stormfly. I pat Toothless's neck before sliding out of the saddle.

"Getting faster," I observed, nodding towards Astrid and Stormfly. Astrid rolled her eyes and slid off of Stormfly's back.

"INCOMING!" Ruff and Tuff called simultaneously. They dropped down on the cliff with so much force the whole ground began to vibrate.

"Woo! Did you see that?" Tuff exclaimed, jumping off his half of their Zippleback, Belch. I noticed he had a bag slung over his shoulder.

"Well, duh, they have eyes, don't they?" Ruff snapped, hopping to the ground. She had a bag as well. "Doofus," she muttered.

"I wasn't asking you, moron!" Tuff retorted.

"Guys, calm down! Remember why we're here," Astrid said as she walked over to me.

"What do you mean 'why we're here'?" I questioned. Before she could answer, Snotlout and his Nightmare, Hookfang, landed beside us. He had a bag as well.

"What are they fighting about this time?" he wondered, nodding towards Ruff and Tuff. Astrid shook her head and waved her hand dismissively as if to say "Don't ask,"

"Hey, where's Fishlegs?" I wondered.

"I'm here!" he yelled as he descended towards us on his Gronckle, Meatlug. "I'm-oh no!" Meatlug came crashing down onto the rock. Meatlug wasn't the most active of dragons and liked to decide when he would land, whether Fishlegs wanted to or not.

"I'm okay!" Fishlegs called, jumping onto the ground. _Oh, look_, I thought. _He has a bag too_.

"Okay guys, this is Hiccup's last day before he goes to ruin his engagement, so, we're going to have a 'Going-Away-for-Now' party," Ruffnut exclaimed.

"Yeah! Party!" Snotlout exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. He did a strange sort of dance, waving his arms around until he realized we were staring at him.

"I don't care..." he muttered, crossing his arms across his arms over his chest.

"Guys, I really don't want a party," I said.

"Oh, come on! We brought all this party stuff!" Tuffnut said. The twins, Fishlegs, and Snotlout each held up their bags.

"So that's what those are for,"

"We're not taking no for an answer," Ruff said. She dumped the contents of her bag out onto the ground.

"Fine," I relented. "When did you have time to plan this anyways?" I asked.

"After the glade," Astrid said, smiling.

"But, you were with me,"

"I was the distraction," she said. "It was either hold an axe to your throat, or cuddle. I figured you'd appreciate the latter," I rolled my eyes.

"Alright, let the party begin!" Snotlout exclaimed.

There are may things Vikings are known for; fighting, recklessness, eating... Even though 'partying' wasn't on that list, my friends managed to throw a pretty great one nonetheless.

Fishlegs prepared an obstacle course to ride on our dragons, and the twins had brought enough food to feed half the village. However, it was the game Snotlout had invented that kept us busy for the longest time.

He called it "Choose between telling the truth or doing a dare". The game was pretty self explanatory. Astrid had suggested he shorten the name to "Truth or Dare" instead.

The party went on until sunset when they decided it was time to head home. Fishlegs left first, followed by Snotlout and the twins.

Astrid and I sat on the cliff and watched as the sun disappeared over the horizon. Yes, I realize how sappy that sounds. Though Astrid would never admit it, we had quite a few of those.

"I have something for you," Astrid said, smiling mischievously. I raised my eyebrows.

"Oh?"

She stood up and walked over to Stormfly. She reached into her saddle bag and pulled out a small object wrapped in cloth.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I was going wait and give it to you on your birthday," she said as she walked back towards me. "But I figured there's no time like the present, right?"

Astrid sat down beside me again and held out a small bundle of cloth. I took it from her and unwrapped it slowly to reveal a small pin, about the size of the palm of my hand. The pin was in the shape of a black dragon with two riders. It was easy to tell that one of the riders was a boy and the other was a girl.

"Astrid... this is..." I tried to find the right words.

"I know," she said, giving me a quick peck on my cheek.

"So, how did you like the party?" she asked.

"I admit, it was fun. It was a really great way to take my mind off of... you know" I said. "Well, hey, it was a pretty good last night," I added jokingly. Astrid didn't take it as such. Her face became solemn and her blue eyes avoided mine.

"Hiccup, I don't know if I can come to say good bye tomorrow," she said softly.

"Astrid-"

"I'm not changing my mind. I'm not going to be there to see you off. I won't let you leave if I do," she said, looking up at me. "I'm sorry," Astrid let out a deep sigh and brushed her bangs away from her face. She then straightened up, her mood lightening.

"Now come on," she said, nudging me. "It's getting late, I have a curfew, and you have an engagement to ruin,"

**Yeah, I wrote this. It was much fun. For all y'all Hiccstrid shippers... *evil grin* ... more to come soon.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I promise, the plot REALLY starts in the next chapter.**

**Not much else to say...**

**ONE TREE HILL! (Conversation starter, right?) :D**

_Toothless bashed his tail on the roof of Hiccup's house to wake him up. He was ready to go flying. This time, he would not dive into the water to eat delicious... delicious fish... NO! He wouldn't. Well... maybe one... Hiccup finally came outside. Toothless jumped down from the roof and stood in front of him, showing his attempt at a 'smile'. Hiccup, however, seemed unresponsive. He showed no emotion on his face. He was still sad from the day before. Sensing Hiccup was not in any sort of mood to talk, or even go flying, Toothless lay down with his head on his front paws, hoping his human friend would be okay._

_Where I leave to ruin the engagement I never wanted in the first place..._

For the first time ever since I had learned to ride Toothless, I didn't want to go flying. When I was sick, or angry, or anything, flying normally made me fell better. But my engagement was one problem it couldn't fix. _Unless I fly away and then never come back_, I thought. I shook the thought away quickly. I couldn't do that do my dad, or to the village, or to Astrid.

"Hiccup, are you out here?" my dad asked from inside. He poked his head outside and gave one of his "Hey kiddo, don't sick your dragon on me, Ok?" smiles and took a slow step outside.

"I have something for you," he said, holding his hands behind his back. He grinned and held out a large fur pelt.

"Gee, dad, thanks," I said sarcastically. My dad didn't seem to take notice.

"I knew you'd like it! Now, you're going to need a pin, or a clip to fasten it. I could see if I can find one somewhere-"

"It's okay, I have one," I said, running my finger along the lining of my vest where I had pinned Astrid's gift by my chest.

"Well, I was thinking you could wear it today," he said, holding out the pelt to me. I forced myself to smile and take it from him.

"Sure. I just have to go, uh, pack," I said, brushing past him into the house. Toothless got up and followed me.

"I'll be out in a minute, bud," I said, patting him on the head. He snorted and curled up beside the door.

I walked up the stairs to my room and threw the pelt down on my bed. I stuffed some extra clothes in a bag, larger than the one I had planned to use to run away the day before. I also stuffed my sketchbook and a few extra charcoal pencils in the bag.

I turned to leave the room, but then remembered the pelt lying on my bed. I sighed and dropped the bag. It landed on the ground with a dull thud.

"Stupid pelt," I grumbled, taking off my fur vest and replacing it with the pelt, throwing at around me like a cape. It settled around my shoulders and draped down my back. I picked up my vest again and removed the pin from inside the lining.

Just before I was about to fasten the two corners of the pelt together, I noticed an inscription on the back of the pin. I squinted to make out the small, delicate writing.

_Hiccup_

_I love you_

_Astird_

For a moment, everything slowed down around me. All I could hear was the sound of my heart pounding in my chest. The tiniest amount of writing caused my mind to fill with a realization I couldn't find before. How I hadn't already figured it out, I couldn't tell, but it was the most amazing feeling I'd ever experienced.

"I love her," I whispered to myself. A small smile formed on my face, slowly growing until I broke out into a joyous laugh.

I raced out of my room and down the stairs, the pin still clutched in my hand. The only thing I could think Just before I was able to push the door open, my father grabbed me by the shirt and pulled me back. I had grown enough so he wasn't able to lift me off the ground entirely, but that didn't stop him from trying.

"Hiccup, where do you think you're going?" he demanded. He continued speaking without waiting for my response. "We have to leave any minute if we're to reach Dunbroch by tomorrow. Where's your bag? And the pelt?" In my hurry to leave, the pelt had dropped off my shoulders and was still lying on the floor of my bedroom.

"Dad, I have to-"

"The only thing you have to do is get your stuff, put on the pelt, and get down to the docks," he said as if he was speaking to a six-year old. I stared up at my father, my mouth slightly open in shock at how he wouldn't listen to me. Of course, he was my dad. Stranger things had happened.

"Fine," I said bitterly, turning my back to him.

"Hiccup," he started apologetically, but I wasn't listening.

I stomped back up the stairs and snatched my things. I slung the pelt around me once more and positioned the pin over my heart, reading over the inscription once more.

I quickly went outside and strapped on Toothless's tail and saddle. I was doing up the last latch as fast as I could.

I needed to find Astrid.

I tied my riding vest to the saddle, securing it tightly so it wouldn't fall off.

"What are you doing, son?" my dad asked wearily.

"I'm getting Toothless ready," I replied, not lifting my eyes.

"Hiccup... Toothless isn't coming. He can't," my dad said. I stopped.

"No, he's coming,"

"We can't risk-"

"I've abided by all your other rules! My whole life at the moment is... is undecided! I don't know where I'm going to live, I've never met the girl I'm going to marry, and I can't even go tell Astrid..." my voice trailed off. I looked down and realized I had balled my hands into fists. I spread my fingers apart slowly and put a hand on Toothless's saddle. "No, dad, he's coming," I said defiantly.

"This is the last thing I will ask of you," he said solemnly. "Leave Toothless here," he said tightly. I felt like I was going to burst into tears. I wanted to hop on Toothless and fly away. I'd never look back.

"Ok," I said softly. I would find a way back to Berk, with or without Toothless.

"Let's go," my father said, putting a hand on my shoulder and leading me away. I wasn't sure if my dad saw, but Toothless followed us down to the boat.

Standing at the dock, I was surprised to find a large crowd of people waiting to see us. To see me.

I scanned their faces. No Astrid.

Many of them approached me saying things like "You're doing a great thing," or "Thank you for this sacrifice," and "I hope you'll be happy,". Others just cast me sad or thankful looks.

The night before, Astrid had said she wasn't going to come, but she had to. I craned my neck, praying I would meet her blue eyes with mine.

By the boat, Gobber stood with a bag at his feet. He waved with his good hand and attempted to give a comforting smile.

"Eh, Hiccup! Good news, I'm coming with!" he said. I gave a weak thumbs up.

"Us too!" another voice said. I turned around to see Snotlout and Tuffnut running towards me. I side stepped them before they tackled me. Instead, they landed on top of one another. Fishlegs followed after them, panting.

"What do you mean?" I asked them.

"Well, I know this is hard for you, so I thought if you had your friends with you, you'd feel a bit better," my dad explained. That was one thing he was right about.

"What about Ruff and ...and Astrid," I wondered. Snotlout and Tuff exchanged uneasy looks.

"Well, your dad invited Ruff..." Fishlegs said slowly.

"But she's staying behind to make sure Astrid doesn't, like, go kill herself or do something stupid like that," Snotlout finished. I sighed and dropped my shoulders.

"C'mon Hiccup, cheer up! We're going to help you with you-know-whatever-the-plan-is," Tuff said in a low voice, glancing at my father who was talking with Gobber and one of the village Elders.

Toothless came up behind me and nudged my hand with his nose. He sat back and brought his head up so we were at eye level.

"Sorry bud, you can't come this time," I said. I scratched under his chin and glanced over my shoulder at my dad. "But I'll come back, I promise. Make sure to take care of Astrid," I told him.

"Hiccup, it's time to go," my dad said. I gave Toothless one last hug and turned to the boat. I heard Toothless's paws padding softly against the ground. I stopped and turned to face him. His vibrant green eyes were filled with innocence.

"Toothless, stay," I said, holding a hand up. I walked backwards onto the dock, my hand still in the air. I climbed onto the boat and looked back at Toothless. He was sitting where I left him, looking at me questioningly. His tail swished back and forth.

"Oh, Dad, wait," I said, almost getting off the boat to undo Toothless's tail fin and saddle.

"We can't. We have to leave now," he said, blocking my path. Snotlout and Tuffnut scrambled onto the boat and waved to everyone.

"See ya!" Tuff screamed.

"Boat-trip!" Snotlout exclaimed.

"Oh no," Fishlegs groaned.

I sighed and turned away, wondering how they could be so excited (well, except for Fishlegs). I walked over to the other side of the boat and leaned out over the railing. I could just see the edge Astrid's house, but no Astrid.

Before I could stand up straight, the boat began to move. We lowered the sails and let the wind push us out to sea.

I sat down by the bow of the boat and stared out at the sea in front of me. I forced myself not to look back at Berk, otherwise I would jump ship and swim back.

Snotlout and Tuffnut sat down on my left, and Fishlegs on the right.

"Okay, whats wrong. Yesterday, you were all ready to kill this engagement, and now... you're all depressed. What changed?" Tuff asked. I didn't answer, instead, I unfastened the pin from my pelt and handed it to Tuff. He paused and studied the pin.

"It's a pin of you and Astrid on Toothless, so?" Tuff wondered.

"Turn it over," I said, dropping my head.

"Oh, man, that's rough," Tuff said. Fishlegs reached over and grabbed the pin, bringing it close to his face.

"I wanna see!" Snotlout complained. I took my pin from Fishlegs and dropped it in Snotlout's hands.

"Oh, I get it! She said she loved you and you're going to marry a princess," Snotlout said in realization. I groaned.

"Dude," Tuff said in disbelief, punching Snotlout in the arm. I only shook my head and refastened the pin on his pelt.

"Now, I know I gave up on Astrid a long time ago, but... _how did you do it?_" Snotlout exclaimed. I almost laughed... almost.

We didn't talk for the rest of the boat ride. When it was time to eat lunch, I didn't even get up. Gobber tried to force-feed me, but it wasn't much use. I was thrown into a state of hopelessness and depression.

The boat rocked back and forth at a steady pace, an almost calming motion. For six hours, I sat by the bow, either sitting with my back against the hull, or leaning over the rail, staring at the waves.

Then, after what seemed like an eternity, I spotted a mass of land appearing from behind a veil of mist. Sitting by the shore was a large stone castle.

As our boat neared the docks, I saw a large crowd waiting by the docks. It was just like I was going back to Berk.

But then, I remembered. There would be no wooden overhang behind my house, no glade where I could hide out, no dragon training ring, no forge, no Toothless, and no Astrid.

"Son, are you ready?" my dad asked. It was the first time he had talked to me since we left Berk. I nodded curtly and looked up at him.

"Listen, Hiccup," he began. "I know, over the years, I haven't always been the best father to you, but I need you to know I am so proud of you, for everything you've done. And I know I don't say it often enough. You'll go down in history as the first Viking who tamed a dragon, and a Night Fury no less. You will also be known as the one who unites us with the Dunbroch Clan," he said.

"Thanks, Dad," I said quietly. I just hoped he would still be proud of me when I tried to tear apart my engagement.

Gobber docked the boat and let down the gangplank. My father exited first, followed by Gobber. Snotlout and Tuff fought their way to get off before the other, and Fishlegs walked down afterwards.

I walked down onto the dock slowly, my eyes sweeping across the crowds. Their judgmental eyes bore into me, but I didn't care. I took a few deep breaths and followed my dad to meet my "fiancé".

**Yeah, so, Snotlout, Tuffnut, Hiccup, and Fishlegs are bros now, even though they tease and fight with one another occasionally.**

**ALSOOOO, please, don't hate Stoick! I know he seems like the antagonist, but he has the village's best intentions at heart... I like Stoick...**

**Hey, anyone seen Hiccup's new character designs? I know they're leaked photos, but... OH MY GOODNESS HE GREW UP SOOO WELL! 3**


	5. Chapter 5

**PLLLLOOOOOOOOT!**

_Merida woke up in the morning with a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. What if she couldn't convince her parents to let her out of the engagement? What if she had to get married? And to a Viking! No, she couldn't think like that. Merida took a deep breath and got out of bed. She tried to brush her tangled mess of hair and placed her quiver by her hip, fastening the belt tightly. Unlike the last time she faced betrothal, her mother had given her very strict rules to follow, which Merida broke. This time, after the whole "turned your mother into a bear'" incident, she had almost complete freedom. Of course, that wasn't going to stop her from trying to get out of her engagement without starting a war. Staring into the mirror in the corner of her room, a plan began to formulate in her mind. But, she would need to enlist help from her "fiancé" for it to work._

_Where I find a stowaway and make a horrible first impression..._

Three, filled thrones sat on a wooden platform across the courtyard. Beside it, a bench with three small boys. The man in the center, most likely King Fergus, stood up from his throne and walked towards my father. They shook hands and exchanged light greetings.

"Welcome," King Fergus said in a booming voice. Fergus was a tall man, not unlike my father. He had frizzy red hair and a short, red, but slightly greying beard. He wore a kilt and a steel cap/crown sort-of-thing and had a wooden peg replacing one leg. I glanced down at my own prosthetic, then at Gobber, who had noticed as well.

_"_Any more people with missing limbs, we could start a club," Gobber whispered to me, chuckling softly.

"So, Stoick, which one of these young boys is yours?" Fergus asked, gesturing to Snotlout, Tuffnut, Fishlegs, and I.

"I'd like to introduce my son, Hiccup Haddock Horrendous the Third," my dad said, extending his arm towards me. I took stepped forwards and tried to make myself look bigger than I actually was.

"Oh! Hello, Hiccup, it's good to meet you," he said, looking me up and down. I could tell he was expecting someone much taller, stronger, and all together, more impressive than me.

"This is my wife Eleanor," he continued, motioning to the older woman in a long, elegant green dress. "These are my sons, Harris, Hubert, and Hamish," He motioned to the identical triplets, about six years old, with wild, curly red hair and mischievous blue eyes. "And this is my daughter, Merida," Fergus continued. The girl on the third throne straightened up and looked at me with a sad expression. She had wild, red, curly hair, and wore a dark blue dress. She had light blue eyes that bore into me with a judgmental stare.

"Dude, your future wife is hot," Tuff whispered to me. I rolled my eyes at him. Sure, she was cute, but I only cared about Astrid.

"And who else have you brought with you today?" Fergus asked.

"This here is my old friend, Gobber, and these two boys, Fishlegs, Tuffnut and Snotlout, are Hiccup's friends," my dad said.

"Wonderful, they can all participate!" Fergus said, clapping his hands together. I frowned and glanced at Fishlegs, who had a similar reaction. Tuff and Snotlout exchanged a high five, excited to show off in any way possible, despite not knowing the task.

"Excuse me, sir, King Fergus, uh, participate in what, exactly?" I asked in a small voice.

"Oh, well, before a wedding, the groom and other men in the party will participate in tasks of strength, precision and agility," King Fergus explained.

I froze.

Strength. Precision. Agility. My three weakest areas.

A cheer erupted from the crowd as we were lead over to some sort of log toss as test of our strength. Three other boys from the other clans, Young MacGuffin, Young Dingwall, and Young Macintosh, participated as well, along with Merida's father. Now, I could go into detail about how each and every person managed to throw a stupid tree farther than me, but I won't, because its just embarrassing.

_If Astrid were here_, I thought, _she'd pummel me in every test._

"Now, the archery event!" King Fergus announced once we were finished, holding out his arm to the targets that were set up in a long line.

I'm proud to announce I wasn't as much of a failure at this event. I actually managed to hit the target. My friends did slightly better than me, but not by much, which made me feel great. Gobber decided to sit out for the event, leaving my dad to finish off the shooting after the boys of the other clans. My dad, though he did not get the Bullseye, was among one of the closest.

I thought the event was done, that my embarrassment was over, but then, Queen Eleanor stood up and walked into the center of the crowd.

"Now, some of you may remember last year when the visiting clans came and we had a... well... an unexpected participant in the archery competition," he said, chuckling softly. A wave of laughter washed over the crowd, then died down. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Princess Merida stand up and grab something from beside her seat. "So, this year, Fergus and I have agreed to let Merida show us all what years of practice can accomplish,"

"Hot _and_ she can fight?" Snotlout said in a low voice. "Score!"

"Astrid can fight," I pointed out.

Merida walked towards the archery range holding a bow in her hand. She pulled an arrow from the quiver resting at her hip and stationed herself in front of the first target.

Here's what happened next: Bullseye, bullseye, bullseye, bullseye, bullseye, bullseye, bullseye, bullseye, bullseye. Oh, and another bullseye!

All of us stared with jaw dropped expressions. She had bested each and everyone of us.

"She's a fighter, Hiccup," my dad laughed over the applause, patting me on the back. _Uh oh, _I thought. _He likes her._

"Beautiful job, Merida! Taught her everything she knows," King Fergus said, smiling at his daughter.

The next event, for agility, was sword fighting. I cringed. Multiple times.

"This is not my day," I grumbled. Snotlout laughed.

"Yeah, no kidding!" he snorted. I stared at him and a single question popped into my head.

"Why am I friends with you?" I asked.

"Hiccup, Would you like to start us off?" King Fergus asked me. Not good.

I tried to refuse as politely as I could. "Oh, uh, thats okay, someone else can-"

"Nonsense! How about you go against one of the boys from the other clans," he suggested.

"Uh..." I looked at my friends uneasily. They shrugged almost completely in unison.

"I'll do it!" one of the boys said boldly. It was Young Macintosh. He stepped forwards, drawing himself up. He had long brown hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a plaid skirt-type-dress thing that left his torso exposed. He pulled his sword out of its sheath that was strapped across his back with his arm that was covered in blue painted marks. He spun the sword in the air, swinging it in long, rhythmic movements.

"Great," I mumbled under my breath, taking one of the swords from a weapons rack. I stood opposite Macintosh and held my sword up in front of my face.

"Raaaaaaagh!" Macintosh yelled as he charged towards me, his sword raised above his head. I shut my eyes and waited for him to pulverize me, but I didn't feel anything. Instead, screams filled my ears.

My eyes popped open and I found myself staring into Toothless's innocent green eyes. Joy, rage, and fear bubbled up inside me all at once. All around us, people stood, weapons pointed at Toothless. Also realizing this, Toothless growled and stooped his head, preparing to attack anyone who came too close. Everything was a blur of screams and pointed weapons.

"STOICK! WHY HAVE YOU BROUGHT THIS... THIS MONSTER INTO MY KINGDOM!?" King Fergus bellowed.

"HICCUP! WHAT IS HE DOING HERE!?" my father yelled at me. I put a hand on Toothless's forehead to keep him from charging forwards. His scales were wet, making my arm slip down his face.

"I don't know!" I exclaimed. This was not good. Not. Good. Toothless growled loudly.

"You have to lower your weapons!" I yelled.

"Are you crazy?" a new voice yelled. Out of the crowd, Merida approached me, her bow raised. Toothless snarl grew louder. "I get you may not want to get married, but attacking us with a dragon? How dare you!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! He must've followed me somehow," I said, my voice shaking. Not. Good.

"He won't hurt you, just put your weapons down!" I pleaded.

"What are you trying to pull?" Fergus asked, pointing a sword at me. Toothless snapped his teeth.

"Please understand, Fergus, this is much to important to me. I would never endanger your kingdom," my dad said earnestly. Fergus's paused for a moment. There was complete silence. The tension was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. Finally, Fergus lowered his arm.

"Lower your weapons," Fergus said to everyone else, though his eyes were fixed on me with an ice cold stare. As each weapon dropped, Toothless relaxed even more. Soon, there was only one weapon still pointed at us; Merida's bow.

"I promise, he isn't going to hurt anyone. He's just trying to protect me," I said calmly, meeting her eyes. Finally, she lowered the bow to her side. Toothless stopped growling completely and raised his head slightly.

"Boy, what is going on?" Fergus asked in a low, threatening voice.

"This is my dragon, Toothless," I said.

"How could he possibly have gotten here?" my dad asked.

"He must've swam behind the boat. When he saw Young Macintosh run at me with his sword, he came to defend me," I said.

"Why didn't he just fly?" Merida asked skeptically.

"He can't, not without me," I explained. "He lost half of his tail fin, he needs me to control the mechanic side. I swear, I didn't know he was behind us, I swear,"

"So, he followed you all the way over from Berk, the six hour boat ride, swimming," Fergus said, as if trying to process it all.

"He's my best friend," I sighed, rubbing behind Toothless's ear. "We look out for each other,"

"He seems tame," Fergus murmured, scratching his scruffy chin.

"He is, I trained him myself," I said earnestly.

"Hiccup's the best dragon trainer in our village!" Fishlegs contributed.

"Well, besides me," Snotlout added.

"Shut up!" Tuffnut exclaimed, whacking his arm. I shot them a disapproving glare.

"I'm willing to forgive this incident," Fergus said after a long, agonizing pause.

"Thank you so much," I said gratefully.

"I see how this dragon cares for you. Lord knows we've had our fair share of gentle beasts roaming in our kingdom," he said thoughtfully. "Merida, please show him to the stables," Fergus said. "Now, I invite you all to enjoy a feast. Lets put this episode behind us,"

Everyone filed into the castle, leaving Merida, Toothless, and me alone in the courtyard.

**YAY!**

**So, I decided to update super quickly, because people kept on saying things like "WHAT? NO TOOTHLESS?" and "WHYYYYY?" Okay, so it was only a few people, but I COULDN'T LET YOU THINK I'D BE SO CRUEL TO LEAVE TOOTHLESS ON BERK! HE'S TOO AMAZING!**


	6. Chapter 6

**MORE PLOT!**

_Toothless watched as Hiccup's boat disappeared into the distance. He waiting patiently for Hiccup to return to him, laughing and saying how he was only kidding. Hiccup wouldn't go without him, would he? Already, curiosity of where he his human had gone began to fill his thoughts. A horrible thought struck him. What if he never came back? Toothless needed Hiccup to feed him, and help him fly, and be friends with him. Toothless took off towards the end of the island, passing house after house. He reached the farthest point of the island in the direction Hiccup had gone and jumped off the edge. He soared for a few feet before diving into the water and swimming after the boat._

_Where I clear up a few things with my "fiancé" and find a solution..._

"I get you probably aren't thrilled about this marriage thing, but there are easier ways to get out of it than showing up with a dragon," Merida said, crossing her arms. Toothless looked at her suspiciously, his pupils narrowing slightly as if he wasn't sure what to think.

"Oh, no, I didn't bring him, honestly. My dad would have killed me," I said.

"Whatever you say," Merida replied. She motioned for him to follow her to the stable.

"So," Merida said over her shoulder. She walked briskly, and Hiccup had to jog to catch up to her. "Is that true what you said? About the dragon being your best friend?" Toothless growled softly at being referred to as "the dragon".

"His name is Toothless, and its true," I replied, patting Toothless's neck.

"Lucky I didn't shoot him then," Merida said, smirking slightly. Toothless let out a low growl again. "You're different than I expected, you know. Smaller," she continued.

"And you're much more blunt," I said under my breath.

"How'd you even get close enough to him in the first place?" Merida asked. I assumed she hadn't heard my earlier comment

"Long story," I sighed, a smile twitching on the corner of my mouth.

"Oh? As long as mine?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yours?" I asked. "You have a story too?" Merida nodded, keeping her eyes forwards.

"You tell me yours, I'll tell you mine," she said as we approached what looked like a miniature stable, two wooden stalls side by side, but only one was occupied.

"You can put him next to Angus," Merida said, nodding to the empty stall. I looked at Toothless and then at what was supposed to be his living quarters until I found a way back home.

"Toothless isn't an 'enclosed space' type of dragon," I said.

"Well, this is it for now," Merida said, walking into the stall beside Toothless's with a brush. A large, black horse with a white stripe down his nose and four white stockings nudged her softly.

"Now, your story," she insisted. I thought back to the night I had hit Toothless as he flew through the air.

"I went against Viking law, trained a dragon instead of killing it, killed the 'ruler' of all the dragons, you could say, and lost my leg," I said as I took off Toothless's saddle and artificial tail fin.

"Wow, almost as interesting as mine," Merida said.

"Really? What did you do?"

"Well, last year, I accidentally turned my mother into a bear so I wouldn't have to get married, broke tradition, and ended two curses, one of them ancient,"

"And you're parents are making you get married after all that?" I asked, surprised.

"Well... technically... it was my idea..."

"What?!" I exclaimed, rage boiling up inside of me. "Why?"

"Well, I stopped a war from happening over marriage last year, so I figured I could do it again," she said. My jaw dropped. "That's why I need your help,"

"So you would risk having to get married?" I asked in disbelief.

"And you would risk sending us to war?" she retorted, folding her arms across her chest. "We can either dwell on the fact it was my idea, or we could figure out a way to stop the marriage and save both our homes," she snapped.

Toothless nudged me with his nose and crooned softly, asking what was wrong. I scratched his head and sighed.

"I'm fine, bud," I told him, letting out a short breath. At hearing this, his ears perked up and he cocked his head, spreading his wings and swishing his tail back and forth. His eyes went from me, to the sky, and back to me, asking to go out for a fly. I gave him a small smile.

"Later" I promised.

"What's later?" Merida asked.

"Flying," I said simply. "We haven't been out yet today," I explained.

"Well, it'll have to wait for later," Merida said. "It's time for the feast," she said, patting her horse, Angus on the neck.

"Stay here," I told Toothless, pointing to the stall.

"So, what's your plan to get us out of the whole 'marriage' thing?" I asked, jogging to catch up with Merida, who walked at a brisk pace.

"Well..."

"You do have one, don't you?" I asked shakily, stopping in place. Merida turned towards me slowly and smiled meekly.

"Sort of," she said.

"I can't believe it!" I exclaimed, pacing back and forth.

"Calm down, would you? It's alright! We have plenty of time to figure this out," she said. "Stop pacing, and take your hand off that pin, you're making me nervous," I looked down at my hand, oblivious to the fact I had been running my fingers over the small pin Astrid had given me. I let go of it and ran my hand through my hair.

"I said I _sort of_ have a plan, didn't I?" she asked.

"Okay, what did you have in mind?" I asked, letting out a sigh. Merida smiled.

"We have to show my parents your dragons aren't a threat," she explained. "The reason they're thinking of war is because they're scared of the dragons, that you'll use them to attack us. So if we can show them dragon's aren't a threat..."

"They'll let us call off the wedding!" I finished excitedly. "So, how do we do it?" I asked. Merida's smile faded.

"That's as far as I got," she confessed. Once again, I began my nervous pacing.

"Well, this is great," I said sarcastically. "You know, I thought yesterday was the worst day of my life, but no, turns out, that's today. First Astrid doesn't even come say good bye to me, then I get a stowaway dragon for crying out loud, and now I don't know how I'm going to get out of-"

"Wait, who's Astrid?" Merida asked, interrupting me.

"Oh, uh... no one..." I said, looking down at the pin on my chest. I felt my ears growing hot.

"Sure," Merida said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "I'll be asking you tomorrow," she said, taking off towards the castle.

I followed her through the stone-walled corridors until we reached two large double doors. Merida pushed them open revealing a large dining hall filled with voices, laughter, and music.

I spotted my friends easily. They sat at the very end of the head table with Gobber eating and talking with each other. Across from them were the three other boys from the competition as well as their fathers, to whom they bore strong resemblances.

My dad, King Fergus, and Queen Elinor were talking and laughing in the center of the front table like they had known each other their whole lives.

"Hiccup, Merida! There you are!" King Fergus exclaimed, his voice echoing around the room. Many people paused to glance at us, while others continued with their conversations.

Merida walked towards her parents, skillfully avoiding her three younger brothers who were running around with a platter full of pastries. I walked after her, glancing over at my friends.

"Hiccup, you're father was just telling me about that beast you're harboring here," King Fergus said.

"Beast...? Oh, you mean Toothless," I said. I knew exactly what he had meant, but if I were going to make the dragon's seem less threatening, 'beast' wasn't an ideal word to use. "He's more of a... playful house pet,"

"I see..." Fergus said doubtfully.

"Fergus, honestly, not all creatures are beasts," His wife, Queen Elinor said condescendingly. Merida laughed and placed her bow on the table. The Queen looked at her daughter pleadingly, motioning towards the weapon. Merida sighed and placed her bow and quiver beside her chair.

"Please, Hiccup, sit," Elinor said, motioning to a chair. I sat down slowly, my back rigid. Once again, I became aware of my hand hovering over the pin.

The night passed slowly. Eventually, things began to wind down; the fires dimming, music growing slower, people's laughter quieting. My thoughts circled on how to show everyone in Dunbroch that dragon's weren't a threat.

I had no idea of a way to do so until I overheard a conversation between Fishlegs, Snotlout, and Tuffnut.

"Barf and Belch almost set the house on fire," Tuffnut said. How the topic had come to be about dragon's I didn't know, but I was grateful it had.

"That's nothing! Hookfang set himself on fire!" Snotlout exclaimed smugly.

"That's what he does. He's a Nightmare," Fishlegs stated obviously. "Uh, hello! Firepower fifteen!"

Snotlout glared at Fishlegs and grumbled. "Well, I bet you don't know that if you tickle Hookfang under the right front, he-"

"Becomes paralyzed for ten seconds," Fishlegs finished, jutting out his chin proudly. "All Nightmares have that weakness,"

Suddenly, an idea popped into my mind. _The way to make something less threatening_... I thought. _Is to learn about it's strengths and weaknesses._

"Knowledge is power," I mumbled.

"Pardon?" Elinor asked. I looked up at her and at the other faces around me.

"Nothing," I said quickly, glancing at Merida. "I just had a thought,"

"About what?" the Queen persisted.

"Oh... nothing really important," I said, waving it off. I fought to keep a smile off my face, for I had a solution to my problem.

**YAAAAAY!**

**Hope you enjoyed :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**As I'm writing this, I have no internet. Yet, I still find a way to procrastinate doing homework.**

_Elinor couldn't shake the horrible feeling she had about Merida's idea of marriage. It didn't seem like her daughter all. When Merida had heard about the potential war between Dunbroch and Berk, she felt outraged. Elinor remembered staying up with her late one night, listening to her rant about how she couldn't stand all the hatred. She said how if she could make it all go away, bring peace to Dunbroch like she had the last year, she would. Then, her eyes lit up and she rushed away without another word. The more Elinor thought about it, the more unsure she was about Merida's intentions._

_Where I try to recreate a two hundred page book and quiet my dragon..._

After dinner, a plump woman named Maudie was waiting to show Fishlegs, Snotlout, Tuffnut, and I our rooms. Just before I left, I pulled Merida aside.

"Come to my room in ten minutes with a lot of paper, and some string," I said urgently.

"Why?" she asked excitedly.

"I'll tell you later," I said. As I walked away I looked back at her and repeated "Ten minutes," before running off to join my friends.

Once we arrived at our rooms, Maudie left us with a tight smile and a short nod.

"Guys, I need your help with something," I said to my friends. I looked over my shoulder and motioned for them to enter my room.

"What is it?" Fishlegs asked.

"I was talking to Merida earlier and-"

"Ooh, the princess, huh? Hiccup, you dog," Tuffnut laughed. I rolled my eyes and continued.

"She told me that she wants to get out of this marriage too," I explained. "She should be here soon,"

"Aw yeah," Snotlout hooted. I shook my head.

"I need you to help me remake the book of dragons," I said. All three of my friends exchanged serious looks before bursting out into laughter. "I'm not kidding!" I exclaimed.

"_Our_ book isn't even finished yet! It may never be. We're always finding new information," Fishlegs said.

"So we'll leave blank pages,"

"And, you expect us to rewrite all two hundred pages?" Tuff asked, still laughing. I nodded seriously.

"Okay, maybe not _all_ of them," I sighed. "The reason there might be a war is because the Dunbroch Clan is scared of the dragons. If we tell them all about the dragons, they'll become less scared of them, and we won't seem as threatening. Then, they'll let us call of the wedding!" I explained, my excitement growing.

"You want to tell them all about the dragons?" Tuffnut asked.

"Not everything, just a basic knowledge, so they won't be scared of us. Then, we won't even need this stupid marriage thing," I said excitedly.

"But what if they use it against us?" Fishlegs questioned unsteadily. I felt my stomach drop.

"I don't see you guys coming up with any better ideas," I snapped. Fishlegs looked hurt by my tone. I sighed and let my frustration wash out of me. "Sorry," I said, undoing my pin and letting the heavy pelt fall to the floor. I refastened the pin, this time on my shirt.

"No, I'm sorry. It's a good idea. I'll help," Fishlegs said, his face breaking out into a smile. I returned it gladly.

"Me too," Tuff declared.

"Me three," Snotlout chimed in.

"Thanks you guys. Really,"

"Hiccup? Are you in here?" Merida asked, her head poking into the room.

"Yeah, come in," I called, though she had already entered. "Merida, this is Fishlegs, Snotlout, and Tuffnut. They're going to help us write a copy of the Book of Dragons," I said. Merida frowned in confusion. I quickly explained my idea to Merida.

"We have to get this done quickly, and without anyone finding out. Especially my dad," I finished.

"Lets do this!" Tuffnut yelled excitedly. I turned to Merida, holding out my hands to take the supplies from her, when I realized she was empty handed.

"Where's the stuff?" I asked, my shoulders dropping in disappointment.

"You have your helpers, I have mine," Merida said. Not understanding what she meant, I walked over to my bag which had already been brought to the room. I pulled out the extra charcoal pencils and handed them out to each of my friends.

There was a loud knock on the door. Merida smiled and opened the door. Standing by the door holding stacks of paper and a ball of twine were the three teenagers from the competition, Young MacGuffin, Young Dingwall, and Young Macintosh.

"Thank you, boys," Merida said approvingly, taking the supplies from them.

"What'd you need this stuff for anyhow?" Macintosh asked, waltzing into the room.

"We're writing a book," Merida explained. "A book of Dragons," I stared at her in disbelief.

"What happened to not letting anyone find out?" I asked. Merida looked at me like I was crazy.

"How can they help us if they don't know the plan?" she countered, putting her hands on her hips.

"Fine, they can help," I relented, motioning for the other two to enter the room.

"Where do we start?" she asked, spreading the papers out on the floor.

We worked tirelessly, filling page after page with information. Terrors, Gronckles, Nightmares, Zipplebacks, Whispering Death, Bone Knapper, and at least ten more. And we were barely a quarter of the way. We had decided to leave out the more exotic species that no one had seen in a hundreds years. Fishlegs was able to recite most of the information, and Tuffnut, Snotlout, and I were able to fill in the gaps. I drew the dragons, Tuff, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Merida, Macintosh, Dingwall, and Macduff copied down logistics, names, weaknesses, and any other details about the dragons that Fishlegs called out, though I made sure to be limit the weaknesses we wrote down.

After two and a half hours, at around one o'clock in the morning, everyone left to their own rooms. I continued to work for another hour until I couldn't keep my eyes open. I pushed the papers under the bed, flopped down on top of the blankets, and fell asleep.

"Hiccup!" My dad's voice said. My eyes popped open. I saw my father standing in the doorway of my room.

"I'm up, I'm up," I said tiredly, sitting up and stretching.

"Quiet your dragon, would you?" he asked.

"Sure thing," I yawned. My dad nodded firmly and left the room, pulling the door shut behind him. I stood up and changed into a fresh set of clothes, fastening my pin to my shirt.

I walked out of the room and made my way out of the castle, turning many corners until I reached what I thought to be the exit.

No, not so. Instead, I walked right into the dining room where the only people there were Merida's family. All eyes turned towards me. I froze for a moment before straightening up and brushing down my messy bed head.

"Sorry," I said. "Wrong room," I laughed nervously and backed out slowly. "I'm just going to-" Faintly, I heard Toothless's cry coming from outside. "Deal with that," I finished. As I hurried away, I could hear Merida laughing hysterically at my awkwardness.

I finally found the exit and ran towards Toothless, who was crying loudly. He had, however, stayed in the stable, which that was an improvement from following me like the day before.

"Hey, I'm here bud," I said soothingly, scratching him under the chin.

Fast as I could, I strapped on his saddle and artificial tail fin. I replaced my fur vest with my riding one that I had fastened to Toothless's saddle the day before. It was lucky that I had.

"Where are you going?" Merida asked, walking up to me.

I looked over my shoulder before answering. "Flying,"

"Oh, I thought you were joking yesterday!" she exclaimed, raising her eyebrows in surprise.

"Why would I joke about that?" I asked in a perfectly serious tone.

"Because... because people don't fly, especially not on dragons!" Merida exclaimed. I shrugged and hopped on Toothless's back.

"Where's a good place to fly, do you think?" I asked her casually, sitting back in the saddle.

"Well, the Fire Falls are beautiful, by Crone's Tooth," Merida said. I looked at her with a blank expression. She laughed and hopped on Angus's back, no saddle or bridle. "I'll show you,"

Merida kicked her heels on Angus's side and wrapped her hands in his mane. Angus shot forwards and headed towards the castle walls. I leaned forwards on Hiccup's back and, sensing my eagerness, he shot into the air.

"Let's follow them, bud," I said once we were in the sky, pointing down at Merida and Angus. Toothless darted after them, flying just above the tree tops.

Soon enough, they approached a large cliff, with uneven stone pillars shooting up the sides. Flowing over the edge was a strong waterfall, that reflected a rainbow in the sky.

"Not bad, eh?" Merida asked when he and Toothless landed after circling around the top of the cliffs once.

"I think we could have some fun, right bud?" I asked Toothless, looking up at the towering cliffs. I looked over my shoulder at Merida and smiled. "Be back soon," I said before Toothless shot into the sky, climbing higher and higher until we reached the top of the peaks.

I let out a loud cry, releasing all my stress and doubt in a single breath. Toothless flew in and out of the falls, and though I'd normally be annoyed with him, I didn't care.

As Toothless weaved over and under the clouds, I felt better than I had since arriving at Dunbroch. I could faintly here Merida calling my name, but I only urged Toothless to go faster.

I released another scream, pouring my sadness out into the air, only to be carried off my the wind. I became aware of tears welling up in my eyes, and the only thing I could think of was never getting home to Astrid.

And then I felt scared.

I leaned back in the saddle and Toothless leveled out, spreading his wings. I flopped forwards in the saddle and hugged his neck. He crooned loudly, looking at me with concern out of the corner of his green eye.

"Let's go down, bud," I said, sniffling and wiping my eyes.

Slowly, Toothless descended to the bottom of the cliffs where Merida sat on Angus's back.

"What was all that yelling about?" Merida exclaimed.

"Nothing. Let's go finish the book," I said flatly.

"Wait, were you crying?" she asked, studying my face. I turned away from her and shook my head. "Okay, tell me why. Is it because of... what's her name... because of Astrid?" she asked. My head snapped forwards.

"What? How do you- why did..."

"You mentioned her name earlier," she said. "And Snotlout said you were 'bummed about Astrid' last night, so I assumed,"

"Of course,"

"So, who is she exactly?" Merida asked, hopping off of Angus's back. I blushed furiously. I hadn't planned on talking about my girlfriend with my fiancé.

"She's a girl back on Berk," I said simply, lying back in Toothless's saddle.

"Oh, you don't say," Merida said sarcastically.

"She's my girlfriend," I confessed, smiling as I said it, though it quickly faded. "And I'm scared that I won't be able to call her that anymore," I added quietly. Merida hadn't heard me.

"What's she like?" Merida asked. I smiled, Astrid's face flashing in my mind

"She's beautiful. Her favourite weapon is an axe, and she never leaves her hair down for more than a few hours in the morning and at night, but I like it. Did mention she's gorgeous, and smart, and funny, and tough, and strong, and-"

"And you love her?"

I paused, for a moment before answering definitely. "Yeah. Yeah, I do," I laughed and looked down at my pin. "Didn't tell her yet," I added quietly. Hot tears blinded my eyes again. I blinked them away quickly and faked a smile.

"I'm going to head back. Work on the book," I said softly. Merida nodded.

Just as I was about to take off, Merida spoke again.

"You know, if I loved someone as much as you seem to love Astrid, I'd bee doing everything you are, if it meant I could be with them," she said. I looked back at her and smiled.

"The way you say that, it almost seems like you do love someone," I remarked lightly.

"Me? Oh no. Not today,"

**I hope you enjoyed this installment! There's a little sappy Hiccup for you!**

**I'd just like to put something out there, this story is NOT going to be as long as Half-Bloods of All Sorts (if you haven't read it, please do!) because I started working on it later and I want to finish it before summer because life and stuff happens. **

**So, REVIEW! FOLLOW! FAVOURITE! YAY!**

**I hope you have an awesome life! Don't let people bring you down! EMPOWERMENT!**


	8. Chapter 8

**YAY! A CHAPTER! That was fast! Yeah, it was! How? I'm procrastinating studying for my exams, that's all! Won't you fail if you don't study? WHATEVER!**

_Merida watched as Toothless flew towards the castle, taking Hiccup with him. Merida was in a sort of daze. After listening to him talking about his girlfriend, Astrid, she felt a strange sense of sadness for Hiccup, pity almost. She was angry at herself for putting their relationship at risk. She hadn't even thought how her actions would affect Hiccup. Merida shook her head and reminded herself that everything was for the better. Hiccup had a good plan and they would be able to evade their marriage. Merida had meant what she said. She wasn't ready to get married. Sure, she wanted to fall in love one day, make a family, but not yet. As far as Merida was concerned, she still had a lot more life to live before settling down._

_Where I can't think of a creative chapter name...I'm sad about getting married? whatever. now, the ellipsis..._

I returned to the castle, regaining my composure before asking Toothless to land. He landed smoothly beside the stable.

"Thanks for that, Toothless," I said, sighing heavily. I untacked Toothless and gave him a quick scratch before disappearing back inside the castle to find my room.

I walked slowly through the halls until I stumbled upon the kitchen. I felt a slight hunger tugging at my stomach, so I ducked in to see if it was too late to grab a fruit or a piece of bread, something to tide me over until later.

Just as I was about to leave, pear in hand, a second door to the kitchen swung open. Queen Elinor walked in with three other women following in her wake.

"Oh, Hiccup! It's perfect that you're here. For the wedding, would you mind haggis as the mani course afterwards?" Queen Elinor asked. I felt like a deer in the headlights. My cheeks were bulging with half-chewed fruit, and I was being asked about a wedding I didn't want to happen while on my way to work on a plan to make sure the wedding wouldn't happen.

"Ok," I said briefly, trying to cover my mouth. Queen Elinor studied him for a moment before smiling lightly. I returned the gesture and backed out of the room awkwardly, bumping into the door as I did so.

I rushed away, retracing my steps until I found a familiar hallway that I was almost positive had my bedroom in it.

"Hiccup! Thank goodness!" Fishlegs exclaimed, running up to him.

"Fishlegs, where are Tuffnut and Snotlout?" I asked. I was hoping to enlist my friends to help work on the book some more.

"They left me here alone to die in this labyrinth!" he cried dramatically.

"Calm down, our rooms are right there," I said, pointing to the first of four doors. Fishlegs looked to the doors, then at me, and then back to the doors. He opened the second door and smiled.

"My room!" he grinned.

"Hey, are you going to work on the book?" Fishlegs asked, turning to me. I nodded. "Can I help?" he asked. I opened my mouth to respond, but Fishlegs spoke first. "Hiccup, were you crying?" he asked softly.

"No," I said quickly, running a hand over my face. "Look, Fishlegs, thanks for the offer, but I just want to be alone right now, if that's okay," I sighed.

"Don't worry, I understand," he said. I smiled gratefully and walked into my room.

I reached under my bed and retrieved the stacks of paper from the night before. I spread them out on the floor, reading over all the pages and making sure the necessary information was there. I wrote a list on a scrap piece of paper of dragons we were missing.

I worked my way down the list, checking them off as I went. Night Furies. Check. Skrill. Check. Toxic Nightshade. Check. Nadder. No-check.

I sat down and started sketching the Deadly Nadder. I finished it off by drawing a girl sitting on it's back. I smiled to myself as I wrote out the rough details. "_Tail spikes. Large blind spot in front of nose. Shot limit: 6_"

"Hiccup, are you-"

I turned around to see my dad standing in the door, looking horrified. I looked down at my papers, then back at my dad, who was now infuriated.

"Hiccup. What. Are. Those?" he asked in a stony voice.

"Just drawings," I said quickly, gathering the papers together. My dad walked over and picked up the one of the Nadder.

"Why are you writing about the dragons?" he asked.

"I just... did!" I shrugged as I stood up, putting the drawings under the bed again.

"Hiccup, don't lie to me," he said forcefully. He held up the paper and pointed to it. "What is this?" he asked. The silence that passed between us was unbearable. Finally, I relented.

"The Book of Dragons. I thought it was our solution," I admitted.

"Our solution? To what?"

"To this _wedding_!" I exclaimed. "I can't get married Dad. At least not to Merida,"

"She's a fine girl-"

"Yeah, but she's not-"

"My marriage to your mother was arranged and we-"

"You're not even listen-"

"I am listening, I just don't-"

"You don't understand-"

"I'm trying to do what's right-"

"But Merida doesn't-"

"Merida knows her position as-"

"That didn't stop her from stopping her mar-"

"I knew my position, too, and-"

"Your position didn't mean leaving the girl you love!" I managed to blurt out. My dad fell silent. I dropped my shoulders and ran a hand through my hair.

"Hiccup," my dad said in a broken voice. I shook my head.

"Just... just go away," I whispered, sitting down on the edge of my bed. He stood there for another minute before leaving. I lay back on the bed and closed my eyes.

For the rest of the day, I stayed in my room. Working on the book. I went to bed that night, my hands black from the charcoal and back sore from hunching over the paper.

The next morning, I did mostly the same. Maudie brought me food at one point, but I barely ate. When she came to drop off my lunch, I took a few bites before running out of the castle and flying away with Toothless.

Time after time, I directed him towards the ocean, intending to fly home, but every time we got near the shore, I turned him around. Finally, I gave up and went back inside.

The evening was cold, or maybe it was just me. I stayed awake late into the night, but not once did my dad come to the door.

***SPECIAL INSTALLMENT JUST BECAUSE I FELT LIKE IT***

_Astrid sat by the docks. It had been two days since Hiccup had left, but it felt like forever. _Get it together, Astrid,_ she told herself. _You're stronger than this.

_Ruffnut came and pulled her away from the docks forcefully._

_"Ouch!" Astrid exclaimed, trying to pull her arm out of Ruff's tight grip. "What are you doing?"_

_"I can't stand this! You're freaking DEPRESSING!" she groaned._

_"Thanks," Astrid grumbled._

_"It's true!" she exclaimed. "Now, I'm supposed to be keeping you from doing stupid things, like, say, hopping on Stormfly and flying to stop Hiccup from getting married. Because that would be totally irresponsible," she finished._

_"But..." Astrid said hopefully. They were headed towards her house._

_"But, I'm not responsible at all,"_

**GUYS! THIS MAGICAL IDEA CAME TO ME AND I HAD TO LAY DOWN A TEASER OF WHAT THE COMING CHAPTERS HOLD, SO HERE IS THIS! YAY! :D**


	9. Chapter 9

**HOLA! STORY TIME! Sorry for the delay, I was on a class trip to NYC, if you didn't know from reading Half-Bloods of All Sorts. Oh, yeah, for those who don't know, I have a PJO/HP crossover if you have interest in that :)**

**Please excuse any mistakes. I'm overtired and bad at editing after a certain point at night.**

_Stoick stood outside of his son's room in a daze. He knew Hiccup and Astrid were together, but it was only then that Stoick could see how much he loved her. It was clear as day, and Stoick was about to destroy that by forcing this marriage upon him. He hung his head. How could he ever fix his mess. It wasn't like a solution would simply fall from the sky. Hiccup didn't come to breakfast the next day, Stoick considered going to check on him, but he knew it was unlikely Hiccup wanted to see his father after what he had done._

_Where I realize how much this marriage will cost..._

I woke up in the morning from a loud bashing on my door. I ignored it and rolled over.

"I left you alone yesterday because Stoick said to, but no more Miss-Nice-Merida," she said, swinging the door open. "What were you doing all of yesterday? Not to mention half the day before."

"Wallowing in my own self pity," I mumbled into my pillow.

"Well, stop it," Merida said, yanking the blanket off of my legs. I sat up and swung my legs off the bed. "Your dragon's making noise," she said, opening the window. A distant wailing reached my ears.

"Okay, okay," I sighed, standing up. I walked out of the room slowly, not bothering to change out of the clothes I had worn the entire day before.

Toothless was perched on the roof of the stable, crying loudly.

"Toothless, down," I told him wearily. At hearing my voice, he jumped down to the ground and nudged me with his nose. I pat his head lazily and started strapping on his saddle and tail fin.

"Okay, what happened? Why are you so sad?" Merida asked, stepping in front of me.

I sighed. "My dad saw the book and we got in a fight and... what are we going to do if we can't get out of this marriage?" I asked. I knew what I was going to do. I was going to fly away on Toothless. I was going to find Astrid and we'd leave together.

Merida opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by a loud scream. Toothless growled. I whipped my head around looking for the source of distress. It was Maudie, screaming like a lunatic and pointing at the sky. I looked up and squinted at the figure in the sky. Other people began to gather. Archers strung their bows and reached for arrows.

I ran to tighten the last few straps quickly and climbed onto Toothless's back.

"What is that?" Merida asked.

"It's a Nadder," I said shortly before taking off, but it was too late. The archers began firing.

"No! Stop!" I yelled. Toothless's wings beat furiously, climbing higher and higher. We couldn't fly towards the Nadder, or Toothless might be hit, no matter how fast he was. I saw a small figure on top of the Nadder's back. I felt a wave of worry and I prayed it wasn't who I thought.

"Down, Toothless!" I told him. Toothless shot towards the ground, shrieking loudly to throw off the archers.

"Stop firing!" I yelled as Toothless touched down. Most of them listened, but one of them loosed another arrow. I held my breath as it flew through the air and sunk into the dragon's side. It let out a pained shriek and tried to fly away towards the forest.

"Back up again, bud," I said to Toothless. He shot into the air, following the dragon as it continued on it's crash course for the forest outside of the castle walls.

Toothless dove through the trees where the dragon had fallen and spread his wings as we reached the ground. I jumped off his back and ran to the Nadder. Toothless pushed his face against the Nadder's body sadly.

"Help!" a strangled voice cried. I ran around the Nadder's heaving body and saw Ruffnut lying on the ground with her legs trapped underneath it's body.

"Ruff! Are you okay? What are you doing here?" I asked in a frenzy, kneeling beside her. She had a thin line of blood trickling from her cheek and her shirt was torn and bloody by her shoulder.

"D'you think I'll get a scar from that?" she asked excitedly. I managed to roll the Nadder slightly so so Ruff could slide her legs out.

"Is this... she isn't Stormfly, is she?" Hiccup asked, surveying the dragon's arrow wound. It wasn't in too deep. Ruff nodded sadly.

"Oh my god... OH MY GOD! ASTRID!" Ruff screamed suddenly, standing up. She winced and her foot slipped from underneath her. "My ankle!" she exclaimed.

"Wait, Astrid? Is Astrid here?" I asked. Ruff nodded and tried to limp to look for her. "Sit down. I'll find-" Toothless let out a loud moan. He had disappeared behind a thick cluster of bushes twenty feet away.

"What is it, bud?" I asked, rushing to his side. I gasped when I saw Astrid lying among the bushes. I ran to her side. Her arm was bent at an awkward angle and scrapes covered her arms and face. Her clothes were torn in various places, like Ruff, and she had a deep gash along her forehead.

"Astrid," I said softly, brushing her hair away from her face. I put my fingers on her neck and searched for a pulse. It was faint, but I felt it all the same. "Astrid, wake up. Please, you have to wake up now," I said.

"What happened? Is she... is she okay?" Ruff asked.

"She's breathing," I called back. "I have to get her back. To a doctor," I said. I put her injured arm on her chest carefully and lifted her in my arms. Toothless lay down to help me get her on his back.

"I'm going to send Tuff and the guys to help you. Stay here, don't move," I told her, sitting beside.

"You're leaving me here?" Tuff groaned. "What a gentleman," she mumbled.

"Take care of Stormfly," I said in reply.

"Toothless, up, gently," I told him, my voice shaking he lifted out of the forest and headed towards the castle again. I held Astrid close to my chest.

"Please wake up," I whispered, wiping away the blood on her forehead with my sleeve.

Toothless landed in the courtyard beside the castle. People gathered a safe distance away. Fishlegs, Snotlout, and Tuffnut ran to help me carry Astrid down from Toothless's back, not that I'd let her fall.

"Ruffnut is in the forest with Stormfly. Toothless, go take them to Stormfly," I said. My friends ran after Toothless out of the gate.

"I need a doctor!" I yelled. Gobber pushed through the crowd.

"They're coming soon, but I'll have to do for a while. Lemme see her," he said. He inspected her cuts and her arm.

"Well, she's going to have all of her limbs, unlike the pair of us," Gobber said, trying to lighten the mood. "She's a strong one."

"What happened?" my dad asked, running towards us. He saw AStrid and stopped dead in his tracks.

"She's okay," Gobber said. "Let's get her inside. Bring her to your room, Hiccup," he said. "Clear a path!" he bellowed. Everyone moved to let us through.

Queen Elinor and King Fergus stood at the entrance. I didn't look at them. Instead, I kept my eyes straight forwards.

"Hiccup, what is going on? Who is that?" Merida asked. I didn't answer.

I carried Astrid up to my room and lay her down on my bed slowly. Somehow, she seemed so peaceful as she slept. I took a step back to let two women with water, bandages, and cloth through. As they went about their work, I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. It was my dad.

"Dad," I said quietly. "Do you remember when mom got hurt?" I asked. He nodded. Although I didn't remember my mother entirely, I did know how she had gotten injured in battle a few months after I was born. Gobber told me he had cried like a baby.

My whole body began to shake. I tried to control myself, but tears began spilling from my eyes. I choked back a strangled cry.

"Come on, son," my dad said. "Let's leave the doctors to patch her up."

My dad led me out of the room, keeping a hand on my shoulder. I was almost in hysterics.

"Stoick," King Fergus said. "This is the second time one of those dragons crossed my borders. "I expect a full explanation."

"Fergus, I had no idea about either of these-"

"Two of my friends came on that dragon," I choked out. "My dad didn't know. I didn't know. And I'm sorry, but... I can't do this. I can't lose my home, or Astrid."

"Who is Astrid? What can't you do?" Elinor asked.

"I can't marry Merida,"

**HICCUP I'VE TORTURED YOU! I'M SO SORRY! I JUST WANT TO HUG YOU SO BADLY!**

**Note: I know very little about Valhallarama. I read the books a LONG time ago, but I'm pretty sure she was alive in them. Since I am basing this story off of the movies, I made my own theory of why she isn't around.**

**Also, has anyone seen Epic? It was, indeed, very epic.**

**LOVE YOU ALL! YOU CRAZY, BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE! THANK YOU FOR READING MY RANDOMNESS!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I AM SO WRONG! OH MY GOD THIS IS HORRID! I UPDATED THE WRONG CHAPTER AND THATS WHY IT TOOK ME SO LONG BECAUSE FOR SOME REASON I HAD AN UNFINISHED CHAPTER AND I FINISHED IT AND THEN I WROTE ANOTHER! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! I FEEL LIKE AN IDIOT! FORGET THE NEXT CHAPTER ENTIRELY!**

_Tuffnut couldn't believe how stupid she had been. She knew she was reckless, but now she had put Astrid in danger. If Hiccup hadn't found them, who knows what could have happened. As she sat in the forest with Stormfly, waiting for someone to come and help them like Hiccup had promised, guilt filled her. Her ankle was throbbing like crazy. When Ruffnut, Fishlegs, and Snotlout came crashing through the trees, she was so relieved she could have hugged them. Instead, she gave each of them an affectionate punch on a shoulder. Fishlegs examined Stormfly's wound and declared she would be okay as long as they could stop the cut from getting infected. Together, the guys managed to help Stormfly along. Tuff limped behind, refusing any of their offers to help. She found a long stick on the ground and used it to help her support her weight._

_Where I realize I could have said it all a long time ago..._

King Fergus and Queen Elinor stared down at me from their thrones. I knew how strange I must have looked, with my hair all over the place and my face red from crying. Also, I just broke off wedding plans, so there was that too. Merida stood next to them, leaning on her mother's chair.

"So far, you have brought two dangerous dragons into my castle walls, and you are saying you cannot get married," Fergus said.

"We didn't know about the dragons," my dad said forcefully.

"Do you realize what is at stake here? The peace between our kingdoms will be jeopardized," Elinor said. I wanted to jump up and yell that I didn't care, but I knew that wouldn't get me far.

"Why do we need a marriage to trust each other?" I asked shakily.

"It's a vow that will bind us together. It will ensure the safety of our clans. Your dragons are dangerous. We have seen their power before, and when under the control of humans, they can be used for unimaginable evil," Fergus said.

"Then why didn't we attack two years ago? Do we look evil? Do we act evil?" I asked. The entire time, my voice was quiet.

"It is an insurance for us. No one can tell what the future will bring," Fergus said.

"But why does it have to be _marriage_? What ever happened to an honest word?"

Fergus didn't respond.

"Merida, what do you say. This marriage was your idea," Elinor said. I looked at Merida, hoping for some back up.

"I never wanted to go through with it," she said. "I thought if I could bring us together, you'd see we don't have to be scared of them."

_My mind began to wander to thoughts of Astrid._

"So the dragon, that was your idea too?" Elinor exclaimed. Merida shook her head.

_I wanted to run and sit by her side, to hold her hand and ask her to wake up._

"No! I would never bring them here on purpose," Merida said. "That was a bonus," she added quietly. "But don't you see? The dragon's aren't dangerous."

_She looked so pale before._

"They could be if-"

"No!" I blurted out loudly. Everyone turned to face me. "We would only use the dragons to fight if we needed to. We aren't going to go flying around wreaking havoc and causing war just because we want to!" I yelled.

"You cannot talk to me like that," Fergus growled.

"I'm not trying to disrespect you-" I started.

There was a small knock on the door before it opened. Fishlegs pokes his head in the room.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, but, Hiccup, we have Tuff and Stormfly. I need some help getting Stormfly to calm down so we can take the arrow out," he said.

"Soon," I told him, though I would have much rather be taking care of a temperamental dragon than staying in the throne room. Fishlegs nodded and ducked out, closing the door behind him.

"Why now?" Elinor asked once he had gone. "Why not just say you didn't want to get married from the beginning?"

"Trust me, I did," I mumbled, casting a short glance at my dad. "But I thought if I could find a peaceful way to break the marriage, then you would see that you don't need it to create peace,"

"Can't you see that you are trying to do the same thing as we are?" I asked. "You just want everyone in your kingdom to live in peace, and that's what we want too. But a marriage means nothing without love. It's the love that's the bond, not some wedding contract.

"I'm already in love, with an amazing girl, and I would sooner die than lose her." I let out a short breath. I had said my piece. If they didn't accept it, I didn't know what else I would do.

"While I agree with you..." my dad began after a long pause. I looked at him in surprise. He _agreed_ with me? "...I may have another solution. Hiccup, the book."

"What?"

"The book!" Merida exclaimed.

"The book?" Fergus wondered.

"The book..." I murmured.

"What book?" Elinor demanded. I smiled at my dad and ran out of the room. I heard King Fergus yelling for me to come back, but I kept running to my room.

I stopped in the doorway when I saw Astrid lying on my bed, her chest rising and falling slowly. One of the women from before was putting a bandage on the cut on her head.

I walked to Astrid's side and brushed her bangs away from her face. I wanted to stay beside her, but I knew I had to return to the Throne Room.

I reached under the bed and gathered all my papers. I stacked them up and, kissing Astrid's forehead quickly, ran out of the room again.

**I'm gonna go now...**


	11. Chapter 11

**Well, this is awkward... I posted the wrong chapter... I'm so sorry... So, this is actually chapter eleven so you should go back, read chapter ten, then return here. I am so sorry again.**

_Toothless sat beside Stormfly, looking at her sadly. He hoped his friend would be okay. He bumped his forehead against hers. Her eyes opened and closed slowly. Her breaths were shallow and shaky. The three viking boys crowded around her. They hadn't removed the arrow from her side, and Stormfly bled profusely. The boys made attempts to pull out the arrow or clean the blood away, but whenever they touched Stormfly, she would shriek and flail her wings. Toothless hoped Hiccup would return soon. He would know how to help his friend._

_Where I see things finally start to go my way..._

I ran back to the throne room with all the papers in my hands. I nearly tripped down the stairs, and all the papers went flying.

"Oh, for the love of- this is just my luck!" I grumbled, frustrated. I scrambled to gather the papers together again. I prayed to the gods that they would accept the book. I got up and sprinted the rest of the way.

"The Book of Dragons," I said, bursting into the room. "Is a book that contains all the knowledge of what we have learnt about dragons. There are about two hundred pages, and we're collecting new information everyday," I explained, the words shooting out of my mouth like arrows.

"How does this concern us?" Queen Elinor asked.

"Because you are scared," I said.

"What?" King Fergus exclaimed. "We are not scared," he said defensively.

"You're scared if we go to war you won't know how to beat the dragons. That's why I'll give you this," I said, holding up the pages. "Everything about every dragon species we know of. Well, not everything. We didn't have enough time to recreate every page, but we included every dragon that inhabits Berk, and other some others who are notably more difficult to defeat," I said triumphantly.

"Why would you give that to us?" Fergus asked.

"Who in their right mind would go to war when the enemy knows all their secrets?" I asked. Fergus stopped as if he were considering this. A small smile twitching at the corner of my lip. Progress.

"And you could trust us, knowing we could hurt you with this knowledge?" Queen Elinor asked. I looked at my dad. He nodded.

"With a signed peace agreement, yes," my dad said confidently. Elinor stood up and walked towards me, her head held tall. Her intimidating eyes caused fear to flicker within me. She took the papers from me and leafed through the pages, taking her time. The minutes past slowly. I tried to keep my mind from wandering to thoughts of Astrid.

"We need time to make our decision," she said finally.

"We'll leave you to it, then" my dad said in a low voice. He put a hand on my shoulder and we walked out of the room beside one another.

When the doors shut behind us, my dad took both my shoulders and squeezed them tightly in one swift motion.

"Hiccup, I am so proud of you, no matter that happens. You followed your heart, and that is not an easy thing for any man to do," he said. He swept me up in a bone crushing hug. Normally, I'd be squirming to get away, but this time, I accepted it. "I love you, son,"

"I love you too, dad," I said, hugging him back.

"Hiccup, we need you," Snotlout said, running towards us. I glanced at my dad.

"Go," he said, nodding. I smiled thankfully at my dad and joined Snotlout.

We ran out into the courtyard. People had gathered around Stormfly, though they made sure not to come too close. Fishlegs and Ruffnut stood slightly closer to her than the crowd.

She wailed loudly, her tail swinging back and forth. She craned her neck, trying to pick the arrow out with her teeth, but her attempts were futile. I walked towards her slowly.

"Hey, Stormfly. It's okay. Calm down," I said softly, coming close to her. I stayed directly in her line of sight so she wouldn't be startled as I came close to her. At seeing me, she slowed her motions. Her eyes were wide with terror and pain. "I know it hurts, but we have to take the arrow out."

I was close enough now to put a hand on her neck. My fingertips brushed her blue scales lightly before I placed my palm down. I heard murmuring from the crowd around me, but blocked it out.

"Okay, Fishlegs is going to take the arrow out now," I said, kneeling beside her. I took my free hand and rubbed Stormfly's forehead, then trailed my hand towards her eye. I cupped it beside her eye so that she could still see, but just not the arrow or Fishlegs. I motioned with my head for him to move in.

"Fast," I told him. Fishlegs took hold of the arrow. Stormfly let out a loud wail and arched her back.

"It's okay, Stormfly," I said, raising my voice slightly. She calmed down. I stroked her neck.

"Do it, Fishlegs."

He pulled the arrow from Stormfly's side in one large motion. She shrieked and flailed around. I stumbled backwards before I could be taken out by one of her wings or tail spikes. Luckily, no one was hurt.

"Get a bandage and cover up her wound," I told Ruff as I walked towards the castle. My pace quickened and I sprinted through the castle back to my room, despite the faint soreness in my legs from running back and forth from the throne room and the courtyard.

Astrid was still unconscious. It was strange to see her looking so fragile. There was a bandage on her forehead where her cut had been, and her arm was held against her body by a fabric sling. Her bangs fell over her closed eyes. Her non-injured arm lay limply beside her.

I pulled a small stool from the corner of the room beside the bed and sat beside her. I took her cold hand in mine and pressed it against my forehead.

Finally, I was doing the one thing I actually wanted to do. Not calming a rampaging dragon, or weaseling his way out of a marriage, but sitting beside the girl I loved.

"Hey, Astrid," I said softly. "You probably can't hear me, but incase..." I couldn't finish my sentence. _Incase I don't get to say it later._ "I love you, Astrid. And I should have said that a long time ago, but I just didn't know it yet."

I lay Astrid's hand down on the bed, unclipped the pin from my shirt, and fastened it to the edge of the sling that held her arm close to her chest.

I crossed my arms on the bed and buried my head in the gap, listening to the sound of Astrid's breathing. I turned my head so I could see her face, and waited.

I didn't mean to fall asleep. I wanted to be there to see her when she woke up, but after the third hour, I began to nod off. I tried to stay awake, I did, but my eyelids kept drooping, and though it was a hard fought battle, sleep overtook me in the end.

My dreams were filled with visions of Astrid. The first time I had met her when we were kids, when she stepped on my toe by accident a few years later, making me fall for her head over heels (don't ask me how), her nearly chopping my head off with an axe, our first flight together on Toothless, when she kissed me, when we raced on each others dragons just for fun, the last time I saw her before leaving to "get married".

_Hiccup_, a voice called out, turning the memory to darkness.

_Hiccup, wake up_, the voice called through the darkness again. That voice. It sent a burst of light and colour into his vision.

"Astrid!" I exclaimed, jolting fully awake.

"Hiccup, shut up," she said. I grinned like an idiot and leaned over to kiss her.

"Are you okay? How do you feel?" I asked. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"I have a broken arm and what feels like a hole being drilled through my head," she answered. I smiled. At least her personality wasn't damaged. I loved that about her.

"Why... why did you come?" I asked. Her eyes opened and rested on me.

"I wasn't going to let some spoiled rich princess take you away from me, and sitting around hoping she'd change her mind sure wasn't helping," she said.

"It was dangerous,"

"Yeah, but I kinda like you," she said.

"I love you," I said. Astrid tilted her head to the side and smiled. "I love you so much, and I didn't say it before, but I should have, because I do. I think I always have,"

"I love you, too,"

**So, as you may see, this story is beginning to come to an end, sadly. There will be two... maybe three more chapters, I haven't decided quite yet. We'll see how things turn out. It's been an amazing journey! :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**UPDATE :D**

**GODS THAT TOOK FOREVER! I APOLOGIZE! I've been so caught up in school and other stories and such! But, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

_Merida paced back and forth, listening to her parents deciding what to do about the marriage. Her father was worried that they gave them false information, her mother was worried Merida would never get married. Merida rolled her eyes impatiently, wishing they would make their decision already. Her nerves were making her impatient. Her parents couldn't make her and Hiccup get married, not now, but the relationship between the two kingdoms was the sole thing left to determine. Merida was so deep in her thought, she didn't realize her parents had stopped talking to themselves and were now whispering to each other. Merida looked at them, hoping to get some indication of her fate, as well as her kingdom's._

_Where I really, really just want to go home..._

I couldn't stand waiting. I had told Astrid everything that had happened since I left Berk. I told her how Merida had suggested the marriage, and told me how she didn't want it. I told her about making the book, and about my meeting with the king and queen after she arrived. Astrid raised her eyebrows when I told her about the book.

"You gave them all the information about our dragons?" she asked.

"Not _all_ of it. Just quite a bit of it..." I said sheepishly. "I didn't know any other way to convince them,"

"What about Stormfly? Is she okay?" Astrid asked, her blue eyes filling with concern.

"She's alright. It'll be a while before she can move around again, but she'll heal," I told her.

"And Tuff? Hiccup, is she okay?"

"Last time I saw her, she was good. She may have broken her ankle, but she's okay. I don't know where they moved her. I came hear as soon as I could. Astrid closed her eyes tightly, a crease appearing in between her eyebrows.

"Are you okay?" I asked, placing my hand on her cheek. Her face was warm.

"Yeah, it's just my head," she said. I frowned. I hated seeing her in pain.

There was a knock at the door. I looked over my shoulder. "Come in," I said, not leaving Astrid's side. A bush of curly red hair poked into the room, followed by the rest of Merida's body.

"They've made a decision," she said. My heart quickened. Merida looked at Astrid and gave a small, awkward smile as if to say 'Sorry for everything'.

"You must be Astrid. I'm Merida. Hiccup's told me a lot about you," she said. Astrid looked at me.

"You've been talking about _me_ to a _princess_? I'm honored," Astrid said bleakly. Merida looked taken aback by Astrid's attitude. "Don't play all innocent. You were the one who suggested this whole marriage thing in the first place. None of this would have happened if it weren't for you," Merida drew herself up tall, offended by Astrid's comment.

"Astrid," I started.

"Excuse me, but I wasn't the one who flew in on a dragon unannounced and almost got herself killed," Merida snapped. I looked back and forth between the two of them. I could feel the tension in the room. Finally, Merida relented.

"Look, I didn't know I'd be affecting you too. I just wanted to show my parents we could have peace without a marriage, but I needed some help," she sighed. "I'm sorry,"

"Yeah... sorry I snapped. It's been... difficult," Astrid sighed. I felt slightly out of the loop.

"Wait... weren't you two, like, mortal enemies a second ago?" I asked in confusion.

"It's called an apology," Merida said. "Now come on, we have to go," she said. I stood up, but Astrid caught my sleeve.

"I'm coming with you," she said.

"Astrid, you need to rest. You said it yourself, your head was hurting," I said.

"I'm coming, Hiccup," she said firmly. Looking into her eyes, I knew there was no convincing her otherwise, so I helped her stand up. She wobbled a bit, but refused to accept defeat and trudged forwards. I held her good hand and wrapped my arm around her waist to help her. Her grip was surprisingly strong. Even though she was weakened, she still had so much fight inside of her.

It was a slow, grueling process to get down the stairs, but we managed. Once we arrived at the Throne Room, everyone else was there. Fergus and Elinor, my dad, Gobber, the other clan leaders, their sons, Fishlegs, Snotlout, and Ruff and Tuff. I stood in the center of the crowd, Astrid beside me, her hand grasping mine.

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third," Fergus said in a loud voice. My heart thumped in my chest. Astrid's grip on my hand tightened. "We have reviewed this collection of information you've given us. We have read it over many times, and have come to a decision on the situation of your betrothal to Merida. It seems that it is in the best interest of everyone..." Fergus paused. It was as if he liked making me wait in horrible agony. "If a new deal is made,"

My whole world seemed to slow down. A new deal. The thing that I had prayed for. Was it really happening, or was I hearing things. No more marriage... it was all over. Astrid squeezed my hand. Astrid was with me.

"Thank you," I said, my face splitting out into a smile. Fergus's eyes shifted over to Astrid briefly, then back to me.

"We have finally prepared a peace treaty, and we hope you will accept our terms," Elinor said, holding up a piece of parchment. My smile faded.

"Terms?" I croaked.

"'And so, from this day, it shall be known that The Isle of Berk and the Dunbroch Clan will never pose as a threat to one another. No blood of one shall be spilt by the other. The union of this peace agreement has been put in place by the agreement of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, son of Stoick the Vast, master dragon trainer, to educate the people of Dunbroch on the art of defense against dragons.'" she read.

"I have to teach a class?" I asked. She nodded. "To everyone in the kingdom?"

"Well, not everyone. A select few from each clan who can pass the knowledge on," she said. I smiled.

"Thank you. Again. Thank you. Of course. I'll do it," I said. A small smile reached Elinor's lips.

All my friends started cheering, and Merida joined in. They all crowded around me, hugging me, and asking Astrid if she was alright. I craned my neck to look around them. I saw my father. He nodded his head and smiled.

"Hiccup," Fergus said. "Stoick. If you'd please sign," he said. I dropped Astrid's hand and walked towards the front of the room. With shaking hands, I wrote my name underneath where my father had written his.

My dad put a hand on my shoulder and smiled at me. A heavy weight lifted off my chest, one I hadn't realized was pressing down on me in the first place. I took a deep breath. I felt like I was flying.

"Dad," I said, looking across the room at Astrid. She was talking with Tuff. They looked like they were inspecting each others battle wounds. I smiled. "Let's go home."

**Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!**

**OH MY GOD I CAN'T DEAL WHAT WAIT WHAT NO WHAT HEY STOP WHAT WAIT NO NOT WAIT WHAT? (random outburst)**

**Hah... I concluded a plot. Gasp.**

**And guess what? THERE'S STILL AN ENTIRE CHAPTER OF TOOTHLESS HICCUP BFFL FLUFF AND ASTRID HICCUP GF/BF FLUFF! YAY FLUFF!**


End file.
